Hawaiian Telcom names new management

Following a spate of layoffs, the three hires are the latest in senior appointments

Hawaiian Telcom Communications Inc. announced the latest in a string of recent changes to its management yesterday with three new senior hires.

Starting next month, Geoffrey Loui will serve as senior vice president of strategy and marketing, and Michael Edl will take over as senior vice president of network services. William Chung will start as vice president of human resources and labor relations in September.

The positions were vacant and are similar to those that were previously filled, spokeswoman Ann Nishida said.

"All of the individuals on Hawaiian Telcom's new senior management team are seasoned professionals who bring much expertise in their respective areas," she said in an e-mail interview. "Most of them also have a strong local background, which we believe can only benefit the company."

The appointments follow three senior management hires made in May under Eric Yeaman, who took over the company last month after serving as senior executive vice president and chief operating officer at Hawaiian Electric Co. Yeaman took the reins from turnaround specialist Stephen Cooper, who replaced Michael Ruley in February.

The company has cut more than 100 positions since early last year and in May said that lower high-speed Internet rates and slumping land-line usage contributed to a loss of $40.1 million in the first quarter.

Loui, who is returning to Honolulu after working since 2005 at San Francisco-based Archstone Consulting, will be in charge of strategic planning, marketing and growth initiatives, among other things.

Edl will oversee several functions, including engineering, planning and construction, and network reliability. Edl has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, most recently as senior vice president of network operations at Paetec, a New York-based telecommunications company.

Chung, who has 20 years of experience in human resources, most recently at Hawaiian Tug & Barge and Young Brothers Ltd., will oversee compensation, benefits, and labor relations.